Just A Human
by TimeLord Say0
Summary: Dying and being reborn is such a strange experience. Being reborn as a twin just as odd, however there are extreme moments in situations like this call for my sanity to question itself. Why? My twin is the one and only Kurama, that's right, from the goddamned anime. Yep, the one red-haired fox everyone loves to watch battle either physically or intellectually. Please send help.
1. What the Hell is Happening?

Dying feels painful you know? Alright, so I suppose not all forms of death are painful, but, you know, falling from the 24th story of a high rise and landing on the pavement below? Painful. And don't let the movies lie to you, not everyone dies on impact. How do I know that, dear reader? Because by my personal count, I survived for five god-damned minutes. Five gut-wrenching, hellfire-induced minutes of absolute agony.

I could feel every broken and splintered bone, every ragged breath I managed to rasp despite one of my lungs being completely shredded by broken bone. In short, it fucking hurt. And during all of this, I could hear the very faint voices of people around me. What I could hear over the steady pulses of pain throbbing in what I could only assume to be a ruptured ear drum.

"Hey, somebody call 911!"

"Holy shit, do you think she jumped?"

"No way, look how she landed, she had to of been pushed!"

All the while, I lay there, staring up at the clouds above me, unable to move and absolutely unwilling to try. Even as I stared above me, I could feel the sharp agony slowly dull to a roar of pain. Then mild and farther still as the world around me grew black.

_'But.'_ I thought helplessly, an internal frown coloring my mind orange. _'I haven't done anything I wanted. No book published, no boyfriend...'_

Unable to keep from closing them, my eyes drifted shut, blocking out the blue, cloud-filled sky and the concerned faces hovering at the edges of my vision bit by bit. _'God, my life barely got off the ground and it's already over.'_

Darkness that reminded me of the taste of cherries for some reason descended, sounds muted to nothing more than the feeble beats of my, quite literally, broken heart echoing in the black. This was nice, I decided, comfortable in the soft darkness. The rapid flutter of my heart once more pulled at my attention curiously. Honestly, I thought it would have stopped by this point. I was a spirit right now, right? Shifting my attention elsewhere, I tried to make senses of the situation. I died, fell from very high on my apartment building. Vague images of a apartment deck with a view of the city skyline, ferns and morning glories decorating the railing. A single deck chair to one side with a scratched and beaten up wooden table beside it.

A burst of citrus-laced fear drug me from my thoughts. _'Something just touched me!'_ I tried to move, my limbs feeling like lead as I flailed whatever one would listen to me at the time. Please don't tell me I ended up in hell! Completely blind as demons rip the flesh from my bones inch by inch. Once again, I felt something brush against my side. Yellow sparks of curiosity touched my thoughts. This wasn't something horrible, no pain at least, just a gentle touch really.

I tried to shift again, slowly rolling my barely responding body until I faced the other way in the warm, non-space I apparently shared now. _'Another lost soul?'_ I theorized idly, attempting to move my arm until it finally responded and moved forward, brushing against something warm and soft.

Despite it's apparently affinity for touching me, my touched startled it into moving away from my questing hand. Not to be denied the same right this thing/person had been taking advantage of, I stubbornly stretched my arm the best I could until I once more came into contact with it again. It shifted, as if trying to escape again, but stilled when I tried to pat whatever I was touching in a soothing manner.

Something brushed my hand, curiously sparks raced across my skin until another hand grasped my own. Sudden red-hot anger blazed through me, not mine, it couldn't be. I had absolutely nothing to be angry about. Jerking away, I relished in the fade of the unusual emotion leaving me in a haze of confusion.

_'What the hell was that?'_

Shifting as much as I could, I moved away from the thing as far as I could, I vaguely understood what had happened. All my life, before dying that is, I had been an empath of sorts, sensitive to the emotions of others around me. Touching them granted a far greater degree of understanding, but nothing this clear before. I could literally taste the anger coming from them, lemony with a faint cinnamon aftertaste if you were wondering. Whatever they were... They did not like being here, either because I was in their space or just here in general, I had no clue.

I spent days drifting in and out of sleep, which surprised the hell out of me, honestly, because who would have thought you'd get tried after death? It was during one of my wakeful moments when I was scared once again.

I was testing my fingers, one by one, making a fist then relaxing it before doing it all over again. During my second attempt I felt a firm pressure against my back. Startled, I scooted away from it, ignoring the fact I basically wrapped around my angry visitor. Another lance of irritation spiked through me, but was cut off short when the pressure came back, this time against the both of us.

Wishing I could make even a simple noise, I wrapped myself around my companion, despite being completely freaked out myself, I could feel the violet worry waving off of them and wanted to help somehow. Irritation spiked again until the pressure came back, harder this time, and they returned my grip. Hands grabbing what they could while we both tried to move away from the invading force.

_'What the hell is that thing?!'_ I groaned mentally, pulling my companion closer with what little strength I had, feeling them reluctantly respond in kind.

_'Calm, it most likely will not hurt us.'_

Jerking in surprise, I tried to move from whatever I was clinging to only for them to hold fast. That was a goddamned voice in my head! A rough, obviously adult voice with a touch of frustration that from what I could tell based on what they said, came from my companion!

_'What?'_

_'Calm down before you injure yourself, or, to a far greater degree, me.'_

_'What the hell is this?'_

_'I mean to ask the same. Humans hardly have such coherent thoughts at this stage of life.'_

This time light green suspicion colored their tone, making me flinch mentally.

_'I'm not sure what you mean.'_

It was a while before they replied, leaving me to realize the invading pressure was gone and hasn't been back during our internal conversation. Idle relief filled me until the voice came back, their tone leaving no arguments.

_'Do not speak to me again.'_

They slowly pulled away from me until the only thing that touched was their back from what I could feel. Confused and slightly hurt, I rolled myself around until mine pressed against them in turn and drifted into a dazed sleep.

Days or perhaps weeks passed, our silence holding firm. I finally decided I had to of landed in hell considering the company I was keeping. Now and again I would test my limbs, moving my arms or legs, testing my hands then circling back before I grew tired and fell asleep again.

In short, I was bored and despite the growing irritation from my companion at my constant movement, I once again attempted to talk to them out of the need for something different to do.

_'Hey, you awake?'_

The familiar feeling of annoyance edging into anger washed over me before resignation colored it all in soft gold.

_'What?'_

_'Do... Do you know why we ended up in hell together?'_

Silence reigned, surprised bubbling from them as they processed my question. Maybe I was wrong, maybe they had no idea they were in hell until I said something? It was a odd situation to find yourself in to begin with but still, they didn't draw the conclusion themselves yet?

_'You... Believe we are in hell?'_

Pink amusement flashed when they answered, the taste of dark chocolate following close behind.

_'While I am inclined to agree due to sharing this space with the likes of you. I will tell you this is not hell.'_

I unconsciously turned myself around, focusing on them intently.

_'So what, heaven forgot to pay the bills and has to conserve space and power?'_

_'You truly are simple-minded as to believe you are dead.'_

_'What the hell does that mean?'_

_'It means we are not dead obviously.'_

Now he was just trying to piss me off. What the actual hell was he talking about?

_'Alright then, smart guy, what do you think all of this is then?'_

_'Very simple, a human's womb. Unfortunately I was not aware she carried twins until it was too late.'_

Now that shocked me into silence, a womb? What? I died! How the hell could I be in a womb? A shift in my companion, a hand pressing my chest, catching my attention.

_'How does an unborn child as yourself have such clear thoughts?'_

Reaching out the best I could, I touched them back hesitantly.

_'I died, ended up here somehow.'_

Vague, unfinished thoughts danced between us. Ideas that were quickly banished and replaced with new ones just as fast.

_'Perhaps we are in a similar predicament. I however have the advantage of being superior. You being nothing more than a human, one with unique abilities but a human nonetheless.'_

_'Then what does that make you?'_

_'A demon.'_

I fell quiet, squeezing what I assumed to be their arm curiously, feeling them out a moment before replying with some measure of disbelief.

_'You don't feel like a demon.'_

_'Child, I am in a human's womb, what do you assume her to birth?'_

A long-suffering voice of someone much older trying to explain something simple drifted from them. Completely uncalled for, but whatever.

_'I don't know? I mean, she's a human giving birth to a dead person and a demon. You tell me.'_

_'I am merely using this body to hide until my powers return.'_

_'Oh, a demon in a human body. Sounds like a story I used to watch.'_

Flashes of images flickered across my mind. Yu Yu Hakusho was one of my favorite animes. Kurama had a similar story, a bit of a stretch it was happening here. Demons were around, but from what I could tell with my limited awareness of emotion, they were nothing more than energy until they managed to latch themselves onto a human with negative feelings or thoughts.

_'What was that?'_

They asked finally, a frown seeming to color their voice. Something tugged at my thoughts, rewinding the images until it stopped on the one of Yoko Kurama and seemed to study it from every angle.

_'So similar, however the ears are a darker color than my hair. The tail is much too short. Where did you see this?'_

I felt the uncontrollable urge to laugh. This guy, this supposed demon was telling me he looked exactly like Yoko Kurama? Fat. Chance.

_'Dude, it's a TV show. You can't honestly expect me to believe that is you.'_

_'The name Yoko Kurama has appeared in your thoughts in relation to this image. That is my name.'_

_'Yeah right, and I'm Shessomaru!'_

Ignoring their puzzlement, I blocked them out in aggravation and pulled away to be alone in my thoughts for a while. Whoever they were, demon or whatever, they were pissing me off. As if I'd believe any of that! I absolutely refused to believe I fell into a fucking fanfiction-esque storyline. Yoko Kurama indeed!

Time was hard to tell in the limbo state we were in. But considering I knew where we were, it made sense that our living space began to steadily grow smaller. In any case the next time we spoke, our backs had been pressed against each other for a while.

_'Where did you come from?'_

This time it was him that initiated the conversation, and for once there wasn't even an ounce of irritation in his tone. Merely pure curiosity.

_'Earth.'_

_'While I appreciate sarcasm, now is not the time.'_

The familiar frustration for some reason soothed me into a more comfortable state of mind.

_'Two thousand and twenty.'_

I finally stated, drawing on the thoughts I had been pondering over during the silence.

_'And if you really are Yoko Kurama, then this is the beginning of your human life, making it the early nineteen eighties by my best guess.'_

_'Hardly believable. Much less important to how you know me.'_

I groaned mentally and began skimming images like before, stopping at a few then finally settling on a simple memory of my hand holding the box set of Yu Yu Hakusho my best friend gave me for my twentieth birthday.

_'This is why. You can't be him because Yoko Kurama isn't real. Just a part of a story.'_

Like before, he seemed to take the image and turn it over, studying it closely.

_'Interesting, and what does this story tell?'_

_'Ha, not happening. Even if it is highly unlikely you are him. I'm not even going to take a chance, everyone knows future information is dangerous.'_

_'Fairly intelligent for a human.'_

_'Oh shut up.'_

We were silent a moment, dwelling on the conversation. It was a rather odd one, but at the very least it kept the boredom at bay for a bit.

_'Who are the others in this image?'_

_'I don't think you should know that either.'_

I was hesitant, on the one hand I knew everything that would happen, all the good and bad as well as the in-between and wanted to help. But it was dangerous to know your own future, there was no telling what little bit he already knew might change already.

A bubbling laugh washed over me, nearly scaring the shit out of me in the process.

_'A human with enough intelligence to say no and keep their head about not giving into the urge to change a story they know.'_

_'Uh... What?'_

A chuckle this time, followed by what could only be a sigh with something similar to fondness tempering it.

_'Keep the information to yourself, little one, I have no desire to ruin the story of my own future.'_

_'Well good, because I wouldn't have told you anyway.'_

_'Perhaps when I return to demon world, I will take you with me. You have turned out to be rather entertaining.'_

_'Won't I die from exposure to the air there?'_

_'Normally, however there are a multitude of plants that when cultivated properly can give you immunity for moments at a time.'_

_'I'll have to think about it.'_

_'You act as if I will give you a choice in the matter.'_

_'Come on, we're finally talking on good terms, don't ruin it now.'_

He chuckled again and shifted against me in what seemed to be comfort.

_'Sleep and grow, we will have time to speak on this matter later.'_

Grumbling to myself, I reluctantly fell asleep despite not liking his possessive tone. Just my luck to meet one of my favorite characters from an anime I watched near-religiously as a child and well into adulthood, if I were to believe him anyway, and he ends up deciding I'm something akin to a pet!

Months passed in this fashion, our conversations ranging from our pasts, to how we were even talking to begin with. Turns out, unborn children are more soul than body. And with the two of us being in two bodies from the same source, our souls were a closer wavelength of energy. Despite our difference in species anyhow, allowing for a sort of connection. I have no real idea what he was talking about to be honest. Most of what he said flew directly over my head. Needless to say, our time passed in a somewhat pleasant state. Aside of his obviously possessive attitude. Thankfully it wasn't anything weird not like he wants me to be his lover or anything, thank god for that, I don't really think I could handle that on top of everything else.

Like I said earlier, it was more along the lines of his favorite pet or something. Apparently he doesn't like to share if his annoyed reaction to my recount of how I met my best friend is anything to go by.

_'Who is this woman?'_

I paused on the mental image of Savanna, blond curly hair, blue eyes and that familiar happy-go-lucky smile that nearly blinded me with it's innocence every time it was pointed at me.

_'Savanna, my best friend. She was there for me during some of my darker times. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her.'_

_'It is a good thing she is not here.'_

_'Why?'_

_'I may have the urge to keep you away from her. You are mine now, remember that.'_

I groaned in frustration, mentally palming my face and taking a deep breath to try and calm down before replying.

_'Would you knock that off? I'm not your dog!'_

_'If you wish to believe that.'_

At the very least, we weren't alone and bored while waiting to escape our rapidly shrinking cage. The only thing we really argued about was space and who's foot goes where. Most of that was really for no other reason than to argue to alleviate the silence now and again.

After what seemed like ages, there was a shift, a lack of space, the warm bubble surrounding us vanished, the skin outside of it pressing in on us.

_'What? Kurama!'_

_'Relax, Let it happen.'_

His calm words helped me to relax, but I wasn't any less freaked out. Letting go of him, I tensed up and just let whatever was happening, happen. With all the time that passed and his calm tone, I could only assume it was time to be born.

_'I will see you on the other side.'_

His voice somehow seemed to grow faint, what little contact we had slipping away as I moved farther. Let me tell you, birth? Extremely uncomfortable for the child. Being pressed in on all sides while squeezing through a small area. No way to breathe or even scream as you are slowly pushed down a narrow tube of sorts.

Finally a blinding light, large hands and muffled words as I was thrust out of the warmth and into the cold. I couldn't help myself, everything was too much to bear or even keep up with. No calming voice or familiar touch to help me chill out.

I cried, panicked as I moved around, passed hand to hand before settling on something warm for a few moments. And just as I got comfortable and started to calm down, I was taken away again and laid on something soft. Voices echoing around me while I flailed, trying to get away from the pair of large hands moving me around.

Something was laid beside me after a while, my immediate reaction to grab onto it in an attempt to ground myself. A familiar brush of emotion made me tear up again as I grasped Kurama's hand tightly.

No words passed between us, just a gentle calm with underlying amusement. No doubt at my expense, was exchanged. I took several shuddering breaths as I gripped his hand with what strength I had.

_'Don't let go.'_

I pleaded softly, unable to handle everything that was happening on my own, he responded by gripping back just as tightly. The hands returned, bringing with it a brief moment of fear, my other hand flailing around until I could grab onto Kurama with it too.

A gentle voice washed over us as we were lifted into the air. A couple of heart-stopping moments later, we were laid against something warm, the familiar thud of a heart against my ear leading me to believe we were now laying against someone's chest. Most likely our mother's from what I could recall of my sister's labor.

Finally, fresh air. Now we just have to grow up. I made a gurgling noise in my throat as I clasped Kurama's hand and snuggled into the warmth of the woman holding us. Good god I was not looking forward to puberty the second time around.


	2. Growing Pains

**Here with another off the wall story no one asked for! That's right, I'm making a YYH story right now while I try to gather the muse I need to continue with my LOtR story. (To those of you that are still waiting for a new chapter, I sincerely apologize.) I failed to write a little Author's blurb at the beginning of the first chapter here because I was in such a rush to post it, I completely forgot. But here I am, annoying you guys instead of letting you just get on with the story. Shame on me, right?**

**Anyway, I just want you all to know I'm not dead, I'm still alive and I'm still writing. Just not exactly the story some of you are expecting, that's all.**

**Not much to say here other than to thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully review it as well. If any of you know me at all, you know reviews are what fuel my writing ability. Even something as small as 'good job!' or 'Can't wait for the next one!' Though granted, I really do love the longer ones quite a bit.**

**Onward and upward!**

**-I do NOT own YYH or it's characters**

**-I DO own Shohei (Nick) and the plot (somewhat? I mean, I am following the story from the start and all but things are gonna be different obviously with an original character tossed in the middle. It's more or less a fine line I'm walking here.)**

**~*~PLEASE REVIEW~*~**

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Our first years of life were... Awkward at best. I don't enjoy thinking about them at all other than a few memorable moments. One such moment that causes me endless joy and Kurama idle amusement was the day I realized my gender. With Kurama being a possessive little shit and our Mother's reluctance to separate us due to his habit of squalling at the top of his lungs whenever she tried to pick me up without him in tow, it took me much longer to realize it was me she was calling 'such a good boy'. I suppose, compared to my twin's actions, I probably seemed tame.

It took some time, but I finally managed to get my point across to Kurama that acting the way he was, was not in his best interests in the long term. I may have fudged a few truths and concocted a few white lies to get him to listen. But eventually he settled down some, till clingy a hell, but he stopped protesting every time she picked me up.

Granted our conversations weren't in depth like they were before. Words were difficult to share, most of the time we communed through vague emotion, flickering images or colors. But if one of us focused hard enough. We could pass words, Kurama insisted it would get better with practice. I'm not so sure it was a good idea to be honest. I mean, the guy was already possessive enough, I shudder to think how much worse it would get if he had an open link to my mind. Last thing I needed was him to start pissing matches with guys I found attractive in the future.

Another instance I recall upon fondly was a time sometime after our father passed where our Mother enrolled us in a local daycare in an effort to free up time to search for a job.

We had been situated in a corner, away from the other children, somewhere in the three to four years of age. Both of us having decided it would be pointless to try and interact considering our mental ages, instead choosing to practice our hand-eye coordination by tossing a ball back and forth. When it came to my turn to catch the ball, I fumbled, dropping it to my annoyance and watch it roll away, debating if it was worth getting up to retrieve. While I sat there, staring at the orange toy, a pair of hands appeared, picking it up and causing my gaze to drift towards the owner's face.

It was a boy with black hair, cut in the choppy fashion that a hasty home haircut always looked. I glanced over at Kurama curiously, not entirely sure if he still wanted to play our little training game anymore. He pursed his lips a moment then clambered to his feet and walked over to the boy, a hand held out for the toy he still held. When all he did was stare at my twin, I sighed and climbed to my feet as well and joined him. "Ball please." I stumbled through the Japanese phrase with some measure of frustration. I was born and raised American up until my death. Learning an entirely new language from scratch was difficult and frustrating.

"Your hair is weird." The boy finally blurted, pointing at Kurama's head. Despite our being twins, for some odd reason, Kurama came out with the red hair I remembered so fondly, but I had been blessed with our Mother's black hair. Our eyes were the same, our faces identical, but for some unnamed reason, my hair was annoyingly different.

Kurama stiffened at the boy's statement, a hand reaching up to touch his short hair with a look of confusion coloring his features. To be honest, I wasn't surprised. Children of all cultures were known for being bluntly honest and sometimes cruel. But the bewildered look my twin sent me made my irritation at the boy spike.

"Your... Face is... Odd." I stumbled out, snatching the ball from his hands and thrusting it into Kurama's with a silent nudge to his shoulder, I guided him back to our spot so we could continue our game, ignoring the sudden wail the boy made when he realized the ball was gone. Needless to say, our Mother was cautioned to teach us proper manners when she came to pick us up later that day.

But the look of pride on her face when Kurama explained what happened later stuck with me, as well as the words that accompanied it. "Protecting your brother is wonderful, Shohei. But be mindful of other's feeling as well."

Shohei, named after our Father, still was hard for me to come to terms with being my name. I had simply nodded and ducked my head in what I hoped to be a suitable show of contrition before she excused me so I could go to the room Kurama and I shared to get ready for bed.

There were times where Kurama and I would stay up after we were sure our Mother was asleep and practice. He would coax me through Japanese every night until I passed out. But thanks to his stubborn nature, I finally began to grasp it properly by the time our sixth birthday rolled around.

During all of this,Kurama's powers slowly grew. We would sit in the backyard while Mother made dinner, me watching as he tested his abilities on the plants there. First just coaxing the grass to grow, making it shrink, shift colors then bend and do as he bit it. It was a slow progress, but one he insisted was important. Granted, I knew and understood that. I was still wary of how close we were to his self-appointed ten year mark.

It was one such day I was watching him make a vine crawl up the trunk of a tree that I was struck with the feeling of intense jealousy. Here he was, using his energy to grow plants and control them with nothing more than his will, and then there was me: unable to do anything at all but watch. Sensing my sudden shift in emotion, Kurama turned his attention away from the ivy in front of him, making it wither without his focus. "What?" He asked curiously, watching me get to my feet and start pacing back and forth in agitation.

"I can't do stuff like that." I finally admitted reluctantly after a few passes in front of him then plopped on the ground with a sigh. "I thought I would be able to by now but I can't."

He visibly tensed at my words, green eyes sharp as he studied my agitated movements. "Have you been trying?" His childish voice sounding ridiculous with such a serious tone. I flinched just then realizing the fact I openly admitted to practicing using spirit energy in secret. "Shohei, I said that was dangerous."

I bit my lip and looked down at my hands, my useless, energy-less hands. "I just wanted to-"

"Not without me." He cut in, anger lacing his tone now, making me duck my head down farther, fingers now fiddling with the cuff on my pants nervously.

"But you never help me." I frowned, not looking up from the loose thread that called for my complete attention. "You always say we will, but we never do." Pulling it free, I let it flutter to the ground and finally looked up at Kurama, surprised at the look of guilt on his face. "Ku-" I caught myself with a shake of the head. I kept forgetting to use his human name when other people were nearby. "Shuichi, what is it?"

He sighed lightly and plucked a piece of grass. "I..." He trailed off, frowning slightly as he fiddled with the small blade in his hands. Whatever he wanted to say obviously escaping him for the moment. "Your spirit energy is still weak." Kurama finally admitted, looking up at me. "For a human child, it is strong, but..."

"But it isn't strong enough to do anything." I finished dully, watching the grass in his fingers slowly lengthen and shorten as he turned it around and around. His hum of reluctant agreement made me grimace and fall back so I could stare at the sky. "If that is true, then if you take me to demon world with you, I'll be completely helpless."

"There is no 'if'." He butted in firmly, refusing to back down on the familiar discussion of his return with me in tow. "I will not leave you here with them." The obvious distaste in his vice making me bristle in response.

"In case you forgot, I'm human too." I snapped, growing wearing of this constant back and forth and closing my eyes.

"My human." Was his only response before Mother called out the back door to let us know it was time for dinner. Ignoring my twin, I jumped to my feet, adopting a childish grin and running up to her, wrapping my arms around her waist with a big smile.

Sensing his irritation at my insistence to cling to our Mother, I looked over my shoulder at him and stuck my tongue out at his annoyed expression. "I'm gonna eat all the dumplings before you can, Shuichi!" I called, my speech shifting into more informal terms and using vowels geared more towards children. His green eyes widened a moment before he sprinted after me into the house with a childish cry of distress.

Despite his distaste for humans and our Mother, even he was hard-pressed to say anything bad about her cooking. I giggled, a bubbly feeling of happiness growing in my chest as he chased after me. It was tiring acting like children all the time, but now and again, it had it's perks. I skid to a stop by the kitchen table and climbed into my chair seconds before Kurama. Smiling triumphantly at my small win against him, I reached for my chopsticks before stopping and glancing around the table.

"No glasses." I finally sighed, looking over at my twin, his eyes flicked over the table before realizing I was right. Sharing a look, we reluctantly left our places and the smells of food for the kitchen where Mother already stood, putting the finishing touches on dessert.

"What is it, boys?" She asked when we trailed into the spotless room, normally by this point we were sitting in our chairs waiting impatiently for her to join us so we could eat.

"We need glasses." I explained, looking up at her as Kurama climbed onto the counter to reach the cabinet they were in.

"Oh, Shuichi, I'll get those. It's too dangerous for you!" She cried when she turned around to see her youngest son standing on the narrow ledge of the sink.

"I can get them, Mother." He replied easily enough, stretching on his toes to grab for the first glass, his other hand holding onto the shelf to keep his balance. Once he managed to wrap his fingers around the glass, however, the shelving shifted, sliding outward towards him and making his foot slip.

Time slowed, my eyes and mouth opening wide as I watched my twin slip backwards in surprise, the shelf he was holding sliding loose and following him down, the glass cups on it falling right after. "Shuichi!" Mother cried, diving forward, her arms wrapping around him as the glass rained down, a deafening shatter as they broke apart on the floor making me flinch. Mother cried out as her arms and hands landed on the shards below, cradling Kurama securely to her chest, keeping him away from the sharp pieces littering the floor.

"Mother!" I cried, wanting to move forward, but not wanting to risk cutting my feet open. I hesitated a moment, unwilling to leave them, then turned and ran into the entryway, snatching up my shoes before running back to the kitchen, stopping long enough to slip them on my bare feet. Silently apologizing to Mother for wearing them in the house while I did so then walked in carefully.

Glass crunched under the rubber soles as I made my way over to where they were, my voice weak as I called out. "Shuichi?" I came to a stop and crouched down to try and catch sight of his face while I spoke. He shifted at the sound of my voice, slowly inching his way out from under our Mother, his wide eyes staring at her and the bloody cuts littering her arms. Reaching out, I put a hand on his shoulder, making him jerk and stare up at me. Without a word, I motioned for him to climb up on my back, dangerous but needed in our current situation, he was still barefoot, I was not.

Carrying him slowly, I kept one hand on the counter to keep my balance as I gingerly stepped past where the glass lay and put him down. "You need to call for an ambulance." I said firmly, grabbing his shoulders and making him look at me with those same wide eyes.

"She... She saved me, why?" He finally spoke, the question whispered, confusion lacing his tone as his gaze drifted back to the woman struggling to sit up in the kitchen.

"Focus! Call for an ambulance." I shook him lightly, regaining his attention. Staring at me a moment, resolve darkening his eyes before nodding and turning away. Once he ran off to get the phone, I returned to the kitchen, searching the drawers until I found the dishtowels. Grabbing all of them, I walked over to where Mother sat, arms trembling with the strain of holding herself up off the floor. "Mother?"

"Shohei! Don't, you'll get cut-" She started to protest then stopped when she caught sight of my shoes and smiled weakly. "Such a smart boy."

I offered her an apologetic smile and held out the towels to her. "Wrap your arms, Mother. It'll help stop the bleeding. Shuichi is calling for an ambulance."

Her eyes flashed with sudden fear at the mention of her other son. "Shuichi! Is he-"

"I'm here, Mother." Kurama's voice drifted from behind me. Turning around, I studied his expression as he held the phone to his ear. "I'm fine."

Our mother breathed a sigh of relief, smiling tenderly at Kurama who physically stirred, his wide eyes blinking several times before a voice on the phone called for his attention. "Yes, she is awake." He answered quickly, his eyes roaming over her as I tried to help her tie the towels around her arms. "She's- She's bleeding from her arms." His voice pitched to something close to panic. "My brother is helping her wrap towels around them."

I chanced another glance in his direction, worried he was about to loose it. "Shuichi..."

He met my gaze, panic starting to shine in his eyes as he watched our Mother slowly bleed out on the normally spotless kitchen floor. Closing them, he took a deep breath and rattled off our address to whoever was on the line. He paused to listen and clenched his teeth. "Please hurry." He finally begged, his eyes snapping open and refusing to move away from our Mother's paling face.

The next few minutes were a blur, both Kurama and I trying to keep her awake while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Despite our efforts, though, she fainted just moments before it did. I was trying to hold her up off the glass when there was a pounding on the door. Kurama jumped and raced to open it, letting the paramedics through.

I was shifted out of the kitchen and over to where Kurama stood, Our hands finding each other as we watched the men and women swarming into our home work on our Mother, assessing the damage then carefully shifting her onto the stretcher they wheeled in. The pastel towels wrapped around her arms bled through in some places, the red permanently staining the once peaceful colors.

A haze of questions and our mumbled answers later, we were hustled into a police car that followed close behind the ambulance she was in. The officer driving glancing in the rear view now and again at us as we sat silently, hands still grasped tight to ensure we weren't alone. After what seemed to be an eternity later the car finally came to a stop in front of the hospital, the officer parking it and climbing out to open the door for us so we could too.

We followed him inside quietly, not even paying attention as he spoke to the woman behind the front desk there quietly then turned to face us, crouching down so we could see eye-to-eye. "Now, boys." He stated gently with a firm expression. "You may wait here in the waiting room. If you do not cause any trouble, you may be allowed to see your Mother when she leaves surgery. Is there any place you can stay until she is better?"

We stared at him silently before slowly nodding our heads. Our grandmother lived on the other side of the city, but neither of us knew her phone number, which I told the kind officer softly, embarrassed despite the look of understanding that crossed his face. "You two are remarkable boys." He finally said, resting a hand on Kurama's shoulder. "You kept your heads, called for an ambulance and made sure to try and stop the bleeding. Don't hang your heads, you two did a wonderful job."

Looking up at him, I felt the uncontrollable urge to cry at his reassuring smile. Kurama squeezed my hand lightly, reminding me I wasn't alone. "Don't you worry about getting a hold of your grandmother. We will take care of that. You two go sit down and I will bring you something to eat in a moment." At our blank expressions, his face softened once again and got to his feet, guiding us to a quiet corner of the waiting room. "Your table was set for dinner, right? From how it looked, none of you got a chance to eat."

Vaguely I remembered racing Kurama to the table for dinner. A startling change from happy to scared and worried made me wince at the memory. Seeing this, the officer gently rested a hand on my head in an attempt to comfort me. "You two sit here until I get back. Be mindful of the other people waiting here with you." He reminded gently before walking away and leaving us alone. I looked over at Kurama and squeezed his hand tightly, getting his attention.

"She'll be OK." I said finally, a weak smile decorating my face as he stared quietly at me. "I promise."

"You knew this would happen." He stated rather than asked, making me flinch and look down at where my feet dangled above the floor, nodding reluctantly. "You couldn't tell me." Another statement, another nod before we both lapsed into silence again. I felt so guilty over all of this. Honestly, I knew it would happen, but up until I saw Kurama slip, I had no idea it would be right that moment.

"I'm not angry." His quiet voice brought me out of my guilty spiral. "You already told me you wouldn't say anything you knew would happen." He continued, staring straight ahead while he spoke, the reassuring grip he held on my hand easing my fears somewhat. "I agreed it would be best. Do not blame yourself." I couldn't help the soft sound of distress that slipped from me as I reached over and hugged him, my body sagging with relief at his words.

"Thank you." I whispered gratefully, letting myself finally relax for the first time since I saw Kurama slip from his perch on the sink. I sat up after a few moments, brushing a few stray tears away and settling back against the chair with a weak sigh, eyes closing as I attempted to calm the trembling that assaulted me.

It wasn't long after that the officer returned with something for us to eat that our Grandmother arrived. A quiet, honorable lady, she called for respect even from Kurama on some of his worst days. We rarely spent time with her, not for any other reason than the commute to get to her home was long and tiring whenever we did travel to visit. She quietly sat with us while we ate then came with when we were finally allowed to see our Mother. Despite our eagerness to see her, she was unfortunately asleep by the time we walked to her room.

Giving us enough time to touch her bandaged hands and say our goodbyes, our Grandmother turned and lead us from the hospital towards the train station. She explained to us in her soft voice that our mother lost a lot of blood and would require at least two weeks in the hospital to recover enough to return home, and until she was we were to stay with her. While our Grandmother was a gentle woman, the idea wasn't the best for either of us. All we wanted was to turn around and go back to our Mother's side.


	3. A Mother's Love

**Well here I am, updating the YYH story for the first time in ages. Sorry it took so long, there's a lot of things that happened between the last update and now, but not really anything worth being a actual good excuse if I'm being honest. I'm just a terrible writer and horrible at keeping with updates and a proper schedule.**

**Anyway! Here we are, a new update, a little more information about Kura****ma and our favorite OC twin.**

**Not much to say about things other than to enjoy the story and I hope you review!**

**-I do NOT own YYH or it's characters**

**-I DO own my OC and some of the plot.**

**~*~Please Review~*~**

* * *

The two weeks we stayed with our Grandmother was hardly boring. In fact Kurama and I were of the same mind that she was attempting to fill our time there with as many activities as possible to keep us from thinking about our Mother still in the hospital. Between visiting nearby parks, taking us to the local botanical garden and the nearby art museum, by the time we were allowed to call Mother before bed, our young selves were all but falling asleep standing up.

Most of the time when we were at Grandmother's, sleeping or otherwise, Kurama sat in silence, only speaking when the situation called for it. I knew what was happening, his thoughts were turned inward, focusing on all the thoughts he's had over the years about our Mother. I was hesitant to break his inner turmoil, choosing instead to keep to myself, practicing writing and and speech patterns as well as my English so I wouldn't get rusty from disuse.

By the time it came for us to return home where Mother already waited, Kurama came to some sort of conclusion, his eyes seeming sharper than I've ever seen before. Sitting beside him on the train ride back home, I nudged my shoulder against his to gain some attention. Despite my dislike for his possessive nature, I had grown so used to it I began to miss his constant presence. "Are you ready to go home, Shuichi?"

He looked over at me with a twitch to his lips, wanting to smile but unable to fully due so. "Of course, Mother will need help until she is at full health again." He reassured me, the complete absence of disdain in his voice making me grin wide. A flutter of relief filled my chest while we spoke. Finally, now I wouldn't have to worry about him dragging my weak body off to Demon world anymore. Small blessings for horrible situations.

Once the door opened to our home, we were greeted with the sight of our Mother standing there, arms spread wide with a familiar smile. "Mother!" Our twin cries of excitement mixed with a heavy dose of relief brought our a gentle laugh from her as we raced forward to wrap her in a group hug.

"Boys, be gentle." Grandmother scolded us lightly, no real conviction behind her words when she noticed how gentle we were already being as well as the truly happy smile Mother had on her face when her arms wrapped around us in return.

"We were so worried." Kurama murmured, hiding his face in her shirt. Mother rested a hand on on his head, pressing a kiss on his hair with a soft hum. "Are you Okay, Shuichi?" She asked softly, letting me move back so she could focus on her younger son who began to cry softly.

"I am fine, Mother." He replied quietly, rubbing at his eyes in frustration with one of his hands before looking up at her. "I am fine."

Closing her eyes, Mother pulled him close, letting him sniffle into her shirt quietly a moment then pulled back and coaxed him into looking back up at her again. "I love you, Shuichi." Hearing those simple words, Kurama's eyes grew wide at the simple, heartfelt statement. Once again, tears gathered at the corners of them, Mother smiled and gently reached up to brush the water from his cheeks. "I... Love you too, Mother."

I jumped in surprise when a hand suddenly rested on my shoulder, breaking me from the happy bubble building in my chest and drawing my attention away from the heartwarming scene over to Grandmother next to me. "Shall we find something to make for dinner?" She asked quietly, the silent suggestion to leave the other two alone hanging obviously in the air.

"Can we have Hot Pot?" I asked eagerly, mouth already watering at the thought of all the tasty things we could add to it. "With beef?" Following the older woman into the kitchen, I opened the cabinet under the sink and began tugging on the cooking pots before finding the one I wanted and set it on the counter for her as she pulled out a few things from the refrigerator.

"Of course, I thought much the same." She smiled softly at my excited expression and got to work, chopping some vegetables to be ready as she directed me in what to get for her.

Glancing out of the kitchen doorway, I spied Kurama sitting on the couch with Mother, both of them speaking quietly to each other. A small pang of disquiet only a child could feel at the thought of being left out of something echoed in my chest before I banished it with a shake of the head. Let him have this moment. I scolded myself quietly, turning away from them so I could help Grandmother with dinner. There would be more in the future for all of us to share.

* * *

A gentle shaking of my shoulder drug me from a light sleep, eyes blinking blearily up at my brother where he stood beside my bed, fox print pajamas I had insisted Mother buying him for our last birthday lit by the streetlamp outside our window. "Kurama?" Sitting up, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and studied the demon as he climbed into bed beside me, tugging the blanket up to cover his legs when he got comfortable. "What is it?"

"I had a dream Mother was bleeding." He admitted after a few moments of silence, eyes down on his hands where they picked at my blanket fitfully. "I went to check on her and she was asleep."

"So... Naturally you wake me up." I murmured, rubbing at my eye again before reaching over to wrap an arm around his shoulders so he could lean against me. "Nightmares are horrible. Trust me I know." Looking head, I stared blankly at the wall in front of us as I recalled the nightmares I had for nearly a year after our birth about falling from inconceivable heights towards an unforgiving ground below. "Mother is fine, I promise. She won't have any problems for a long time." I add, looking back over at my twin with a light smile.

He nodded quietly, still not looking up from the blanket before relaxing some and leaning against me with a quiet sigh. "I'm too weak to protect her." He finally muttered reluctantly. "I couldn't do anything, I froze and watched her bleed on the floor. If it wasn't for you-"

"She would have been just fine, Kurama." I rested my cheek on the top of his head as I held him close. "She was fine from the story, and you would have kicked into action on your own."

"But-"

"Kurama, I know this. trust me." I cut him off firmly, once again feeling a squirm of disquiet in my stomach at the words I was saying. Did I truly not matter here? Was my part in this story so minimal I will have absolutely no impact? Nothing? "Mother is fine now, we are home and we start school in a couple of weeks." Grimacing at the thought of being surrounded by children again, I tugged Kurama so he would lay down next to me and covered the both of us with a blanket. "Get some sleep, Mother promised to make cinnamon rolls in the morning." I sighed into his red hair and closed my eyes, trying to shake off the depressing thoughts that had been plaguing me since we returned.

Without a word, Kurama turned and rested his forehead against my shoulder, hand gripping onto the sleeve of my pajamas as he slowly relaxed and fell asleep, slow, even breaths puffing against my arm indicating he had passed out quickly, leaving me to my thoughts despite how much I tried to shake them. It had never really occurred to me before now, but in all honesty, I really didn't matter to the scheme of things in terms of the story. Without me, our Mother would have survived, Kurama would have saved her and he would have gained affection for her on his own without my help.

Not to mention the entire story line, the dark tournament, the whole Sensui case... What I could remember of it anyway, all of it went fine without me because I shouldn't even be here. So what was my point? Why was I here? There is no real reason for any of this on my part, so what could I possibly do to help? Frowning to myself, I hid my face in the pillow and bit back the tears that wanted to spill over.

_Was I really so unimportant?_

* * *

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Kurama was practically glued to our Mother's side, helping her in the kitchen, helping clean up. Keeping her company while she sat and watched her TV shows. Even the crummy dramas that we both hated with a passion. I, on the other hand, spent my time studying. Not schoolwork, born and raised American, I truly followed that heritage and spent my summer doing what I enjoyed.

No, I studied science, more specifically, the science of energy. How it effected the world around us and even our bodies. Spirit energy was much in the same, just harder to get control over. Flipping the page of my book, I flicked my gaze over the diagram on the top of it before dropping it down to the words below curiously. The faint electrical current in the human body was what kept every cell together was what interested me the most.

Leaning back in my chair, I held up my hand and studied it, focusing as much as I could on the sense of touch in each of my fingers, in the palm of my hand. Nerves lighting up with electricity to alert my brain of a sensation so I know how to react. Wiggling each finger curiously, I tried to grasp the current of energy I knew was running through them and scowled when I couldn't.

"What are you doing?" Kurama's voice shook me out of my concentration, head lifting up so I could glance over to where he stood in the doorway with a curious expression on his face. Dropping my hand down, I stood up, closing the book in the process and turned back to him with a wry smile. "Nothing important, just reading."

Green eyes narrowed slightly, flicking over to the book then back up to my face with a trace of suspicion in them. "Mother wants to go to the store." He finally said, gesturing back down the hallway in the direction she must be in. "She said we can pick what to eat for dinner." He added when I didn't move from my spot, walking a few steps closer and coming to a stop in front of me.

"Hmm." I hummed appreciatively, sliding over a bit and picking up the book from behind my back, keeping it safely tucked away from his sharp gaze as I backed my way towards the closet. "I'll be down in a minute then. Let me just get dressed." I gestured to my pajama-clad bottoms and bare feet. I rarely dressed unless we planned on going outside, normally opting to stay in my sleeping clothes much to Kruama's and Mother's chagrin. "I'll meet you both downstairs in a moment."

"Of course..." He murmured, eyeing me for a moment longer then turned to leave my room, pausing in the doorway. "I thought perhaps this week we can try to work with your energy if you want. Late at night of course." He said, glancing back at me with a knowing look in his eyes.

Despite my initial flare of excitement, I frowned at him and let my arm drop to my side, book still clutched tightly in it's hand. "I really dread to think of what it will be like trying to hide anything from you when we're older." I deadpanned, earning a toothy grin from the demon before he vanished down the hallway, feet padding softly down the stairs away from our room. Once sure he was out of sight completely, I allowed myself a small victory dance as I tossed the book onto my bed and began digging some proper clothing out to go to the store.

* * *

"You know, I really should have known better than to think you were actually going to teach me anything about energy right off the bat." I groaned, staring across at my twin, legs crossed in a comfortable fashion and hands resting lightly on my knees.

"You should have." Kurama agreed easily, studying me as I shifted around until I was comfortable before continuing. "However meditation is truly important to learning to control one's energy. Please pay attention." I stopped fidgeting and sighed, focusing on what he had to say. "Hold out your hands, palms up." He motioned with his own, showing me what he wanted then placing his hands on top of mine, palms down. "Close your eyes and just focus on our hands."

Obeying with a small frown, I tried to focus where his hands touched mine, warmer against my own skin where they rested. "Feel the warmth, how they shift." He continued once I did as he asked, his voice even and confidant. "From what you have been reading, you know there is a small electrical charge in each body, one that controls our movements and keeps each cell active." Nodding my head, I scrunched my eyebrows together, trying to pay attention.

"Now imagine, beside this electrical charge, is a secondary source of energy, flowing at the same speed and pulse, nearly completely unidentifiable next to it. That, is your spirit energy, feeding every inch of your body to keep your soul strong." His hands tensed for a moment before relaxing, the warmth they normally radiated seeming to grow hotter as he did. "It keeps you alive when you are in deadly situations, it helps you stay healthy and most importantly, can be used as a weapon to fend off attackers." As he spoke, the warmth of his hands slowly shifted, seeming to settle on my skin and wrap gently around my wrists, winding up my arms and settling there, twitching lightly against my skin.

"This is my energy, memorize how it feels different in comparison to normal energy." He instructed, letting me scrutinize the feeling of his energy as it twisted against my skin lightly, a slight playful touch to it that reflected it's owner.

"It tastes like sherbet." I muttered idly when he finally withdrew and let me open my eyes, a small frown still tugging at my lips.

"Sherbet?" Kurama raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of what I said when I shrugged. "That... You tasted it?"

"I uh..." Running a hand through my hair, I blew out a frustrated sigh and shrugged my shoulders again. "It's hard to explain. Like orange sherbet, sorta like how mangoes taste round." I tried to explain helplessly, it had been something I noticed early on in life but was unable to truly explain whenever he asked me. Some things tasted... Like well, shapes or sounds. Not a lot of things, just some, mangoes for instance, I realized quite quickly I didn't like them. When he asked me why, the only word that popped in my head to explain it was 'round'.

"I think it's because it's such a big part of you. So your emotions bleed into it." I suggested, looking up from the floor and rested my chin on my hand thoughtfully. His thoughtful expression returned before he nodded in agreement. "I mean, it's not like I can help it, some wires got crossed in my head somewhere along the way, now things taste when they should feel."

A chuckle slipped from him at my frustrated movements, watching me flap my hands a bit. "Synesthesia." He said once I calmed down, earning a confused look from me. "It's a rare condition in humans where senses can be perceived as something different. Tasting food as shapes or emotions as food, for instance."

"O-oh..." I ran my tongue over my teeth with a small frown in thought, on the one hand it was good to have a name for whatever it was that happened, on the other, if Mother found out that would mean trips to the doctor that I would much rather avoid in the future. With school starting soon, the last thing I need is to have her pull me out for appointments when all they would say is to let it be.

"Mother doesn't know." Kurama interrupted my thoughts, reminding me of the faint connection we still had. It had been fairly easy to ignore, much to my relief, but it didn't stop us from feeling strong emotions and, every now and again, we would pick up on vague trains of thought. "But..." He added, making my head snap over to look at him sharply, the chagrined look on his face telling me everything before he said another word. "It would be best to have a doctor study it. We have no idea how it could affect your use of Spirit Energy in the future. For all we know, it could cause problems."

I hesitated, unsure of what to say, because on one hand, I dreaded the idea of a doctor poking and prodding at my brain to see what was wrong. Something that really couldn't be fixed, especially not in this day and age. But on the other hand... He was right, for all we knew, my ability to taste the emotional range of one's Spirit Energy could put me in a tight spot, making it impossible to use for some reason or another.

"Can it wait until we're settled into the school year before letting her know?" Falling on my back, I stared up at the ceiling fan turning lowly overhead. "I really don't want to fall behind at the beginning of school. I know how bad they are here in Japan." Turning my head to look over at Kurama, I grimaced lightly at the idea of how much work students have to do in this country in comparison to the ones in America.

"Fine." He finally agreed, moving to sit more comfortably beside me. "Sit up, I want you to try finding your own energy now." Coaxing me into a sitting position again, he put his hands over top mine and tried to guide me into finding my own unique flavor of energy.

To say it was a failure would be an understatement. I couldn't touch it, not even the slightest flicker, I could feel it there, flowing in me, but no matter how much coaxing, focus or frustrated attempts I took. It stayed stubbornly in place without the slightest flicker of movement. Exhausting myself, I passed out on the floor, body aching from the strain I wasn't used to putting on my body.

I woke up the next morning on my bed, tucked in with my favorite blanket wrapped snugly around me. Kurama nowhere to be seen, but considering how bright it was, safe bet would be he was downstairs with Mother making breakfast for the day.

Rolling over, I stifled a groan of pain when my head throbbed at the movement, hands reaching up to clutch either side of it as I ducked back under my blanket in an attempt to escape the quite suddenly too-bright sun. What the actual hell? I never suffered from migraines before, why now?

_'Probably because of the training last night, dumbass.'_ I thought with a sigh and squeezed my eyes shut against the sounds of footsteps drawing closer to the room. "I wouldn't call you dumb, Shohei." Kruama's voice burst through the quiet of my room, making me wince. "Just stubborn." He added softer, settling down on the bed beside me, one hand holding a packet of medicine, the other a cup of water. "I told Mother you weren't feeling well and she gave me this to have you take."

Sitting up slowly, I winced at the dull pounding in my head and reached for the packet, tearing it open and dumping the bitter powder on my tongue then washed it down with a swallow of water with a grimace. "That stuff tastes awful."

"Well, you are meant to mix it with water before taking it." He hummed, glancing over the directions printed on the packet then glanced up at me still sticking my tongue out in distaste. "Why you fail to remember that every time you have to take it, I will never know."

"Because it's easier than waiting for it to dissolve." I muttered, closing my eyes and resting my head in my hands to wait for the medicine to take effect. "Besides, drinking it is way worse for some reason, tastes like blue."

"And blue is bad?" He asked with a curious expression, eyebrow raised, watching me nod my head slowly. "Of course it is." Standing up, he stretched his arms over his head and let out a breath. "Once you can, Mother and I made breakfast. And then she is going to take us to the school to be signed up and to take a tour."

"Alright, just... Give me a minute or two. I'll be alright in a bit." He mumbled, tucking my head back under the cover and tried to relax until the throbbing in my head quit. Today promised to be a truly long day.


	4. Familiar Faces

**Apologies for how long this took to post. A couple of new things have happened since the last chapter, one of them being we adopted a new cat! His name is Castiel and constantly batting at my fingers while I type. Not as cute or funny as you think it might be considering he still has his kitten claws. On top of figuring out the chapter, I now have bleeding pinpricks as well.**

**But worth it, he really is a snuggle bug, just tends to think everything his his toy right now. Anyhow, the other thing we've been dealing with is cleaning the entire house top to bottom, throwing away everything we don't need sort of deal. It was something that needed to be done ages ago, but just got around to it. So yeah, a bit wore out on that front as well.**

**FYI: I know some of the things in here are most likely not accurate, don't worry, I know I've written some kinda sketchy things but to be honest, I'm the writer here and I have a tiny bit of leeway when it comes to the story I'm writing. I want to apologize ahead of time for any of you that might be a little irritated.**

**Not much else to say other than to say onwards!**

**-I do NOT own YYH or it's character**

**-I DO own Shohei and some of the plot**

**~*~PLEASE REVIEW~*~**

* * *

The school building in front of us seemed to tower into the sky the closer we drew, the windows gleaming bright under the mid morning sun. Anxiety welled up inside of me once I was faced with the daunting task of attending school... Again. In my entire life I never thought I would have to go back to it. Sensing my unease, Kurama's hand slipped into mine and squeezed gently, earning a weak smile for his efforts.

"I expect you two on your bet behavior, boys." Mother turned to us as we reached the doors, her usual smile replaced with a stern expression before relaxing into a more gentle one once we nodded, serious looks on our faces. "Good." Opening the doors for us, she ushered us inside the large building, the cool air brushing against our faces gently. We moved to sit near the other parents and would-be students to wait our turn to be called in the office.

"Mother?" Kurama piped up, making her look down at him curiously. "May we go to the park afterwards?" That question earned a small frown from me, Kurama hated going to the park, too many loud children he said. It was really the only reason I never went despite our Mother asking if we would like to go now and again. Not that I enjoyed playing with other children, but the welcome space to run off the energy that built up in me was enjoyable. I had hated running in my past life, but now I was seriously considering joining track once older.

"Of course, dear. Once we are finished here we can go. I think I saw one on the way over, and what I think might have been an ice-cream parlor across the street." Mother smiled at my sudden interest in the conversation. "How does that sound, Shohei?" Her warm hand brushed my hair gently, making me smile at her familiar touch.

"Minamino?" We looked over at the man standing in the office door, paper in hand. "We are ready for you."

"That was quick." I murmured to Kurama who nodded in agreement as we stood to follow Mother inside and settled into smaller chairs on the other side of the office, books and various items meant to distract and entertain us while our parent spoke about our possible enrollment to the school. Kurama and I shared a look, one born from the frustration of being adults in children bodies. We were expected to enjoy the children's books and toys during all of this, but it was far more boring than the idea of joining the conversation Mother was having.

An unspoken decision between us, we pulled two chairs over next to her and settled in, ignoring the curious look from the man across from us and Mother's exasperated amusement at our refusal to act like children in public most of the time. "Hm, as I stated in our phone call yesterday-" He adjusted his glasses and picked up a couple pieces of paper, looking them over closely while he spoke. "We would be delighted to have Shuichi and Shohei join our school. With their grades and scores from preschool, they promise to be very important students of ours."

He paused and placed the papers down only to pick up one more, scan it quickly then look at Mother with a serious expression on his face. "However, their aptitude tests show that working with other children is a weak point. We pride ourselves in teaching children how to work together, there are several group projects we encourage them to work on with other classes. If they fail to join in these activities there is a very high risk of them failing entirely." Folding his hands on top of the papers, he turned his gaze to us, an eyebrow raised when he saw the serious expressions on our faces.

"Do you believe you will be able to work with others?" He asked us directly, making me blink and look over at my twin with a small frown. "If not, then this school may not be the best choice for you."

"Of course, Sir." Kurama spoke up, hand squeezing mine lightly to coax me into adding to his statement. "It would be no problem for us."

"R-right, we can work with others." I nodded, glancing up at Mother quickly then back to the man. "It would not be an issue for us."

"Very good, boys." Standing up, he offered us a bow which we returned easily. "You may expect a call from us within the week. Thank you for coming." With a general good-bye, we were escorted from the office and back out into the sunlight. Stopping outside on the sidewalk, we took a moment to adjust our eyes to the brighter light and looked around.

"That was much faster than I thought it would be." Shaking my head, I looked up at Mother who smiled down at me, taking my hand with one of hers and Kurama's with the other. "It went much better than I expected." She explained, crossing the road once the traffic slowed. "You two certainly surprised him when you sat with me instead of with the books and things." She added, a light laugh coloring her words as we walked under the trees of the park.

"He seemed rather surprised." Kurama agreed, looking around the area curiously. A secluded park filled with trees and other plant life surrounding the play equipment currently being used by two other children at the moment.

Settling down on the bench, Mother rested her hands on our heads. "You two always surprise me, despite how many years it has been." Eyes dancing with good humor, she patted our hair and gently pushed us in the direction of the park. "Go play now, we can go and get ice cream once you are ready."

Grinning wide, I grab Kurama's hand and tug him towards the sand box, ignoring his quiet sigh of irritation. "Come on, just relax and play for a while." I grumble, plopping down and digging my hands into the cool sand with glee. I never had the chance to go to the beach in my former life, so playing in the sand was a guilty pleasure of mine. "I know your an ancient fox, but can you for once just be indulgent and be a kid with me?" Looking up at his frown, I smile lightly and start moving the sand around, making random designs in it with my fingers.

With another sigh, he sat down across from me and pushed some of the sand around half-heartedly. "I do not see the reason behind this." He finally admitted, watching as I put the finishing touches on my flower with a tilt to his head. "You are mentally near Mother's age but you enjoy this?"

"I didn't have much of a childhood." I shrugged, wiping away the flower and starting on a new picture of random swirls. "Not that many friends or anything, so this is fun to me. To do stuff that other kids got to do."

He was quiet a moment, simply watching me draw in the sad a while before he started adding his own designs beside my own, making it far more intricate than I had previously. "If it makes you happy, then I do not see the problem with it." He shook his head lightly, earning a wide grin from me.

We were so engrossed with our drawing, we failed to see Mother walk over and crouch beside the sandbox. "Would you two like to go and get ice-cream now? Or would you like to wait here while I get it?"

"I'll go, Mother." Kurama stood up immediately, earning a frown from me as he brushed the sand from his pants. Apparently his patience for playing a child only went so far, even for me.

"Shohei?" She turned to me next, making me glance away from Kurama and blink up at her curiously. "Would you like to come with us, or would you rather wait here?" Mother asked again, apparently realizing I had failed to understand her question right away.

"Oh... Can I wait here, Mother? I want to finish my drawing." I looked down at the loops and swirls with a tip to my head, trying to decide on what it was missing.

"Of course, darling. Stay in the park, we will be right back." She kissed my head and stood, Kurama's hand already in hers. "Chocolate?"

I smiled up at her and nodded eagerly. "Yes, please." With another pat to the head, she and Kurama headed off back across the street in the direction of the ice cream shop. Once sure they were safely across, I turned back to my art, seriously contemplating what was missing.

"Watch out!" The shout was my only warning before a small body landed in front of me with a spray of sand everywhere, including my eyes and mouth. "_Ha_! I told you I could land it!"

"Big dummy! look what you did!" Another voice called, scolding the other as I whined and rubbed at my eyes gently. "You should use water." Squinting against the tears and sand, I blinked at the blob in front of me before the familiar feeling of a bottle was pressed into my hand. "Here, I brought it from home."

Tipping my head back, I trickled the water into my eyes a little bit at a time before I was finally able to blink the last of the sand from them much to my relief. "Thank you." I rubbed the water from my eyes and handed the bottle back with a smile.

A young girl in pigtails smiled back at me, her eyes sparkling with relief when I was finally able to open my eyes all the way once again. "It was nothing. I am just glad I had a bottle of water."

"Who are you kidding, you always have one." The annoyed voice from earlier grumbled, drawing my gaze over to a familiar face. I squinted at the young boy standing there, a small frown tugging at my lips and making him twitch under my sudden scrutiny.

"What?" He finally snapped, earning a smack to the arm from the young girl. "Ow! What?!"

"Don't be rude! You just sprayed sand all over him from being reckless!"

"I wasn't! _He_ was the one staring!"

"I know you!" I blurted out, cutting across their argument and making the two look over at me curiously. "You were that boy from daycare." Of course, once I realized his hair was longer than before, it obviously hadn't been cut in a while, but it was him. Same brown eyes, same cheeky look on his face. "The one that said my brother's hair was weird."

He blinked and squinted at me, seeming to try and recall the exact memory I said before his eyes widened, pointing in my face in surprise. "You! You're the weird guy with his brother that stayed in the corner!"

"Says the guy that cried when I said his face was weird." I deadpanned, earning a scowl from him and a giggle from the girl. "I did _not_ cry!"

"You did, and then you ran to the teacher right away." I got to my feet and dusted sand off of my... Everything. "My name is Minamino Shohei, a pleasure to finally meet you." I stuck out my hand, shaking both his and the girl's with a light smile.

"My name is Yukimura Keiko and this is Urameshi Yusuke. Nice to meet you."

* * *

Hours later found Kurama and I home in our room, Mother downstairs watching something on TV. "What happened at the park?" I glanced up from my book and over to Kurama where he sat in the middle of his bed, green eyes firmly settled on me from where he was, refusing anything other than the truth.

"I have no idea what you mean." I tried to brush it off, turning back to the book in front of me, trying to dive back into the world of Stephen King and The Shining. It was just starting to get good and I didn't want to be distracted from it.

A hand appeared in front of me a moment later, sliding a bookmark in place and shutting the cover in front of me before taking the book away despite my protests. "Tell me what happened. When Mother and I came back, you were just sitting on the bench."

"I got tired of playing, not give me my book back." I sat up, taking a swipe for the book in his hand and missing by a mile as he stepped back out of my reach. "Kurama!"

"What happened." His cool tone left no room for arguments, arms folded as I sat up completely, legs dangling over the edge of my bed as I stared down at my feet with a sigh. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I do." He set my book on his bed and settled down beside me, a sigh escaping him when I refused to say anything. "Shohei-"

"Nick." I cut him off, not looking up from my feet where they dangled just above the carpet of our bedroom floor. "You uh, you have your own name, that's mine."

He was silent a moment then reached over to tug my hair lightly to get me to look up at him. "_Nick_." He stressed my name, a light flicker of a smile on his lips. "What happened?"

"I... It's just- _Well_-" I blew out a frustrated breath and fell back against my bed. "It has something to do with the story."

"Ah. I see." Kurama fell silent once again, leaving me to my thoughts for a few moments then laid back beside me, staring at the ceiling fan circling overhead. "Very well, I will not ask anymore."

"Thanks..." I sighed and closed my eyes, the stress from earlier melting away somewhat at his words. "I just don't think it would be good to-"

"I understand, Nick. Relax." A smile touched his tone, his body shifted and lifted from the bed, followed closely by a soft thump of something landing beside me. A familiar sound that made me smile, hand closing around the book he tossed back to me. "You had better finish that before Mother realizes it's missing from the shelf."

"You know... All this time, I had no idea she would like these kinds of books." I admitted, sitting up and studying the cover with a curious expression. She watches all of those romantic dramas all the time." A chuckle made me look over to him with a raised eyebrow.

"I may have introduced her to them when you mentioned liking his books from before..." Kurama refused to look over at me, tugging out some bedclothes from his dresser while he spoke. "I thought it may cheer you up to know there are some books you could read that were familiar."

A wide grin spread across my face, rolling over onto my stomach I propped my chin up with my hands and watched as he shuffled around in his drawers. "What a _loving_ brother I have. Whatever would I do without you?"

"Sit in the room and do nothing at all." He stated simply, glancing over his shoulder to see me scowl with a cheeky smirk. "I do believe I am the only reason you even do anything aside of sit in here and read."

"Not true." I pouted, rolling away and picking up my book again. "And just because I'm reading right now doesn't prove your point one bit." I added when he laughed at me, turning my head just enough to stick my tongue out at him as he stepped out to take his shower. Rolling my eyes, I turned back over and opened the book once more, loosing myself in the plight of the family once more.

I knew full well I was using the book as an excuse not to think about how I had met Yusuke face to face not once, but twice already. How the second I heard his voice I felt my stomach drop out and the ground fall away from under me. How for the ten minutes Kurama and Mother were gone, we had sat in the sandbox, talking like nothing was wrong, learning how he and Keiko took the train here because they were tired of the park near their houses and wanted to see what others there were around the city.

How Yusuke had punched my shoulder in a friendly way before he and Keiko left moments before Kurama and Mother came back, ice cream in hand, because it was beginning to get late and they didn't want to ride the trains in the dark.

How I honestly thought for a single moment, that this boy would grow up only to die several times and save the Earth more than he cared to count all for nothing more than the opportunity to fight.

And how his meeting me was possibly the most important thing that happened in my life here. For once, I wasn't just a tiny blip in the story with no meaning, for once, I had a place in it, even if it was just the strange boy that Yusuke got along with while he was a child for a few minutes.

I closed the book again and carefully tucked it into the drawer of my nightstand before rolling over to bury my face in the pillow there, a long sigh escaping me at the tumultuous thoughts rolling around my mind. I hated how I felt so left out of the entire story I found myself in, how Kurama and Mother didn't truly need me around and how things would be perfectly find without my being here.

More than that, I hated how I felt _jealous_ at the idea of Kurama and Yusuke meeting in the future, and how close they would be.

Pushing me out once again to the sidelines like I knew it would happen. What was my purpose being here? What was the point of my being reborn in this story? Who thought this would be a good idea? Didn't I suffer through enough of feeling inadequate before all of this? Apparently not, once again, I became the butt of the universe's jokes.

Useless. Pointless. Unimportant...

_Human._


End file.
